by Kristina Gabalski
Sentencing is set for September 24 in Ogden Town Court for former Brockport mayor Connie Castañeda, who was found guilty August 14 of violating village codes and a state property maintenance code.
Castañeda had been accused of illegally renting out rooms in her home in the village.
She was found guilty by a jury for failure to comply with zoning and building codes including failure to register residential rental property, failure to obtain residential rental inspection, failure to obtain a non-conforming use permit, and failure to obtain a certificate of occupancy.
Her attorney, Donald Thompson, tells Suburban News and Hamlin-Clarkson Herald that his client plans to appeal the verdict.
Thompson explains that the case had many legal issues and factual issues. The jury had to base its verdict on the factual issues of the case, he says.
“The jury worked hard to make sense of the facts,” Thompson says. “They sorted out the code as best as they could. The code leaves a lot to be desired.”
He says the Brockport Village Code needs to map out what should be done in terms of enforcement when there is a violation.
“Our challenge is to the code,” he says.
Ogden Town Justice David Murante has asked attorneys in the case for their position on what sentence could be imposed, Thompson says. He will now research to find out what sentence is appropriate and said that his client will likely face a fine.
In June, Judge Murante dismissed criminal charges against Castañeda, but she still faced the code violations.
